Thanks, Paul;
I was hoping you could add some of the details! [tup][tup]
For melodic railroad name: How about the Ontario and Western
–was commony called the “Old and Weary” in upstate NY.
There was also a railroad thet was nicknamed (In part) "The Skillet’ my memory fails me on the rest of the details. Maybe someone else can help![%-)]
How about the “Alligator” nick name for the low nose RSD15’s or the “Salad Bowl Express” for the perishable trains run by SP from the Salinas and San Juaquin Valley’s to midwest and east coast destinations.
I remember when the UP proposed merging with MP that many rails called it “MOP-UP” as to what they would do with rest of the industry.
What’s more meleflous than Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western? Not Deilay, Linger, and Wait!
New York,Ontario and Western…Old and Weary, the Old Woman, Owen Doubleyou…
…in fact, virtually anything with at least two words followed by “and” and a direction (Western, Eastern, Northern, Southern).
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha (“Omaha Road” in Minnesota and Wisconsin, “M&O” in Iowa and Nebraska).
Duluth Winnipeg & Pacific
Kurt Hayek
OK. Now, what about clunky names? Are there any candidates for the most un-musical names in the railroad business?
I’ll open with Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific, the Cincinnati-Chattanooga main line of NS, closely followed by Pittsburgh & Conneaut Dock.
Clunky? HMMM…one word names like, Rutland, Monon, Burlington, Pennsylvania, even Erie; Florida East Coast is clumsy while Southern has a syllabic flow. Bangor and Aroostock sounds clunky yet who wouldn’t want to ride a clunker down east on that road?
Just don’t tell him that! [swg]
Clunky names:
Great Northern Pacific & Burlington Lines (the original name for the Burlington Northern merger).
Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Pittsburgh, McKees Rocks & Y (can’t spell the rest, let alone pronounce it)
Kurt Hayek
How do you pronounce “Conneaut?” [%-)]
For clunky, how about that SP predecessor “Houston East & West Texas”, the good old HEWT.
It had the memorable nickname “H-e-l-l, Either Way You Take It”!
Just seeing Hegewisch Paul commenting on this thread reminds me that Chicago South Shore & South Bend has to be one of the sweetest-sounding names to come along, ever.
For clunky, you can’t top Seaboard Coast Line. That name came right out of the Department of Redundancy Department!
I pronounce it “Coney-ought”. Others might come closer to the correct pronunciation. “Connie-ought?” But if you ask her, she probably won’t.
Probably more from the legal or accounting departments as it was to reflect the merger of the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard. I’m hard pressed for a better name which would still describe the route…unless something like Richmond and Southern which clashes with Southern which alread serves the south; Virginia and Florida or Florida and Virginia? Va and Fla? Fla and Va? Na, na. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida…the Richmond Road? Seaboard Coast Line worked I guess,either you were on the Seaboard or on the Coast Line as long as the money got paid to the joint account! But you know, the Atlantic Seaboard would have been nice.
Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe could go in either category. For a clunker, I submit:
Doniphan Kensett & Searcy Railroad (DKS).
Chicago, Minneapolis and Sault Ste. Marie.
Ste., the french abbreviation of Saint. And yet there are numerous places with french names that use the English, St. I never have figured that one out
BTW Sault is pronounced soo.
Bruce
Johnny Mercer had no trouble with the Atchison, Topeka, and Sante Fe…made it into a great song!
WRONG! Full name before the 1961 merger with WC and DSSA was:
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
Kurt Hayek
[:D] Oh, I know. I was humming that song while typing the last post. I was surprised AT&SF had not been mentioned by page three. I have always had problems with the t-ch, though. My tongue gets in front of my eye-teeth and I can’t see what I’m saying. [:P]